


To lose what you once knew

by Cosmic_Spaceship



Series: A Trickster’s Will [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, I will add tags as I go cause I have no idea what I am doing, Ren Amamiya-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28382196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmic_Spaceship/pseuds/Cosmic_Spaceship
Summary: “You Trickster. I shall not let you leave this foolishness unscathed. Not when you have defied a God.”A horrible feeling lurched from within him, now his body registering that he was truly falling and that there was no end. He wondered if this was it.“You will remain tethered to unknowns and unable to reach what you knew once. All will remain lost, gone forever from your reality.”He knew he had won but at what cost.“That is your fate”
Series: A Trickster’s Will [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078736
Comments: 16
Kudos: 70





	1. Prologue

Ren remembered screaming. Red filtered through smoke and a bright light continue to grow until it became blinding. Large structures of bone crumbled and disintegrated to nothing and loud rumbling vibrated the cores of many who can finally see. Pain was an all-consuming thing as he fell to his knees, weak and tired, hands trying to grasp his weightless body which he realised was now falling-

But they were too late.

_**“You Trickster. I shall not let you leave this foolishness unscathed. Not when you have defied a God.”** _

A horrible feeling lurched from within him, now his body registering that he was truly falling and that there was no end. He wondered if this was it.

**_“You will remain tethered to unknowns and unable to reach what you knew once. All will remain lost, gone forever from your reality.”_ **

He knew he had won but at what cost.

**_“That is your fate”_ **

And he would have laughed at those words, bitter, finding himself staring at dizzying swirls of colour before his muddied vision turned black. He felt nothing, heard nothing, saw nothing but an endless sea of black that was his unconsciousness. He felt relief, weirdly enough, sure that he was now on his deathbed.

Then he woke up.

His senses came back one by one, feeling his eyes lose the sudden blurriness, giving him a clearer picture. The first thing Ren noticed was the grey concrete ceiling. Then it was the dimly lit bulb that hung limply from a single wire, barely lighting anything at all. Then it was familiar bars of metal and a small bucket in a corner.

Cold realisation settled in the pit of his stomach. He quickly got off from the bed, but his hands were cuffed, searing into his wrist like second skin. In an uncharacteristic show of panic, he tried to rip off the metal that remained bound to his wrist, feeling as if it grew tighter and tighter. Like how his lungs constricted tighter and tighter at the fact that they weren't coming off.

Why weren’t they coming off? Get them off. Get them off. _Get them off, please._

It was futile anyway.

He staggered as he tried to reach for the bars, suddenly weak and nauseous, but was still able to clutch the cool metal. He needed to breathe. _Oh god, he was going to die…_

It took some time. His breaths short and barely enough but with each forced breath and a mantra of ‘I’ll be fine’ playing on a constant loop in his head, he was able to breathe easier. If he repeated the phrase enough times, maybe he would be able to convince himself that he wasn’t nearly in as bad of a situation as his irrational thoughts make it out as. Not ‘the end of the world’ bad, at least. Maybe, he wouldn’t feel like he was suffocating as a reaction to being in _another fucking cell-_

Another breath. He needed to calm down if he wanted any clue as to where he was. And he was in a cell. First step done. Now his second step would be figuring out how the hell he ended up here?

Had he failed? But that can’t be right, they had won. He was sure of it. That was one possibility crossed off. He glanced at his attire, a simple shirt and jeans, the same thing he had worn just before entering mementos for the final time. The Velvet room wouldn’t leave him in these clothes, nor would they bar him again either. He felt his face pulled in a frown but at least it started to resemble his usual indifferent expression.

He must be in the real world then, he thought, but confusion mingled with his budding panic. Then why would he be in a prison cell of all things?

The only explanation for that was being outed as the leader of the phantom thieves. That was literally the only explanation as to waking up in a cell, unless…

**_“You Trickster. I shall not let you leave this foolishness unscathed. Not when you have defied a God.”_ **

Unless whatever those words meant played a large role as to how he ended up here. He had a really bad feeling.

So in an attempt to remove his mind off of whatever gut feeling that had made itself known, he decided to focus on his current situation.

He was in a prison alone, no one seemed to be anywhere near his cell and there was nothing but a bucket, bed, some pillows and a blanket. He made an effort to walk over to the bed as he was still weak, most likely from that fight, and collapsed. And ow…he should have known better than to drop himself on said piece of furniture because it definitely looked as uncomfortable as it had felt. Hard and rigid against his body with barely any mattress. He was going to bruise later but made no move to shift his very sore ass from its seated position.

One thing that bothered him though was his friends, teammates, because if he had gotten caught as the leader of the Phantom Thieves then the rest will surely either rebel and get themselves caught or somehow was able to escape, remaining undetected from the police and maybe planning his escape. As much as he wished for the latter it was the first option that made the most sense…and the least desirable.

He let out an aggravated sigh.

It was then that he felt a sudden sense of warmth. Belonging. It crept within the seeds of anxiousness and fear, trying to smother him in an almost motherly hug. He felt himself go lax because he felt safe for the first time in a long time. No constant pressure of ruin or other responsibilities that harrowed on his usual quiet life back in his hometown.

Until he heard the footsteps echo. Until he realised that he was in a cell, chained and restrained. Until he realised that what he was feeling is not real. It’s fake. Unnatural.

He snapped out of his calm daze and tensed, backing himself into the corner where the bed was pushed up against and sent a wary glance at the darkened halls that grew brighter with orange light. However, it was gone as soon as it appeared, casting the hallways in shadow once again.

Two figures entered his vision, and they weren’t what he envisioned the police to look like. They definitely didn’t wear black three-piece suits or expensive-looking shoes. The one on the left towered over the other, a fedora covered half of his face…and was that a chameleon? But his gaze slid to the smaller man wearing a billowing cape, gravity-defying hair of pale brown and fingerless gloves that seem out of place from the immaculate presentation. However, he didn’t dwell on that thought any longer because his eyes met the other and they were glowing. Orange.

The bizarreness of this situation hadn’t left him and it had him wondering if this was some sort of joke-

_“Nome.”_

The tall man spoke, a low rumble that felt almost disinterested if it weren’t for the hidden threat that lied within his tone. Ren didn’t answer, confused as to what he just said, and continued to stare at both men with an apathetic gaze.

A swift movement from the man and a click that he instinctually knew was from a gun, Ren just watched a goddamn chameleon turned into a gun. Was he somehow in the metaverse? But he literally just ruled out that possibility. Mementos was gone now and he wasn’t in the velvet room either.

The brunette let out a soft sigh and turned his orange gaze towards the man. A small huff and twitch of his lips, he lowered the gun. Ren was a little glad that he didn’t react much throughout the whole ordeal, frozen in muted shock, he already had plenty of bad experiences with a gun. A memory of being assassinated in one’s own cell being the most prominent one.

But then again he was still reeling from how that chameleon transformed into a gun and without the metaverse bullshit that comes with it. How the hell was he going to explain that phenomenon?

The brunet spoke, face still held in a passive calm and Ren realised those words were neither Japanese nor the limited English he was able to hold in his vocabulary. In other words, he had no idea what the hell either one of them said. The brunette seemed to realise the apparent confusion and repeated again but this time in English.

_“I’m sorry for my partner's behaviour but please bear with me. What is your name and what is your business here?”_

A scoff from the ebony-haired man was ignored by the smaller male,

Ren only picked up “sorry” and “name” and he wished he paid more attention to his English class or Ann’s lessons. Language had never been his strong subject. However, why would they need to ask for his name? Shouldn’t they have this information, it wasn’t that hard to find with his criminal record and all. But with not much to lose at the moment, he decided to answer.

“Amamiya Ren.”

“So you’re from Japan.” And Ren looked at the tall man in surprise, speaking Japanese fluently as if he hadn’t spoken in a different language. He felt a little relieved at having something to understand and gave a small nod.

The brunet gave a curious glance at Ren, breaking the usual blankness that was his expression.

“Then what is your business here.”

“Business…? I’m arrested, aren’t I? Isn’t that enough of a reason to be here?” Because what else would he be doing here. It was a prison, where police put those who broke the law in cells and under supervision.

The man lifted his fedora and stared at him with black eyes and if this didn’t feel like he was being stared through by one well-dressed stranger, then he wasn't sure what was. It reminded him of how Akechi stared at him when they played chess together. Calm yet calculating.

“Do you not know where you are?”

And alarms were blaring in his head because that was enough to answer that he was NOT in custody of the police. The words from the fallen god repeated itself.

“Where am I,” Ren spoke coldly, trying to hide the slow-building terror, eyes scanning at any possible route for an escape. Again, the sudden feeling of belonging and safety tried to envelop him but he flinched harshly in response because he wasn’t going to be fooled another time. So he glared at the two men, fighting down the urge to snarl at them and pushed himself further into the wall.

The orange-eyed man frowned as if to not expecting this reaction, the other straightened further and gave Ren a curious glance.

“Where. Am. I.” Ren repeated again, this time a little desperate. Everything was becoming too overwhelming for his fatigued mind to grasp.

Noticing the quick dissent to a panic attack, the brunet quickly gave his reply.

“You're in the main Vongola Headquarters, that resides in Italy-“

“Italy…”

**_“You will remain tethered to unknowns and unable to reach what you knew once.”_ **

“You’re in Italy,” the brunet confirmed but paused and his glowing stare intensified. All Ren could do was helplessly stare back.

“You’re not supposed to be here. Are you?”

Silence was the only answer, enough to say that yes, yes he was supposed to be in Japan, not Italy. But then again, he was pretty sure he killed any chance of a normal and simple life as soon as he got framed for assault that one night. He should be used to this by now.

That doesn’t mean he wants any of this, though.

“My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi and this is my partner Reborn-“

“You know we could just skip the formalities. After all, his phone holds enough information on who he is and where he’s from,” Reborn interrupted, taking out Ren's phone and swiping through...something. Ren couldn't see and his panic grew.

"There's everyone. Your Friends. Your family." The man showed each and every photo of his friends and people he grew close to. " Charged with assault as well? Hmm...How interesting." He drawling out those words with a lazy tone, and all Ren could do was stare in silent horror.

Tsunayoshi looked unimpressed.

“Reborn.”

“However, there have been quite some interesting discoveries…” A smirk. “Especially, one that concerns you and every one of your contacts on your phone.”

“ _Reborn_.” Tsunayoshi turned to Reborn with an irritated glare. “We are not scaring this child.”

However, the dark-haired male ignored those words, seeming to find amusement in this situation and Ren grew more and more nervous. What do they mean?

The gun turned back into a chameleon and crawled back up into the man’s fedora and he took strides closer to the cell door, peering at the huddled teen. He then spoke and it caused Ren’s heart to drop.

_**“All will remain lost, gone forever from your reality.”** _

“There is nothing on you or on anyone else that is outside of your phone. Not in Japan. Italy. Or anywhere in the world. Frankly, none of you exists.”

**_“That is your fate”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mistype 'name'. 'Nome' is name in Italian fyi.
> 
> Anyways I did not mean to start another one but uhh I've seen some wacky stuff that comes with the final battle with a god in many of the P5 fanfics I read so yeah...this was just me having a self-indulgent moment at 3am and was like: wow what would happen if the P5 protag got yeeted to the KHR universe. 
> 
> Don't know how much further I'll go with this idea since I have no idea of what to write other than first impressions and more struggling for both Tsuna and Ren and I'll most likely need to refamiliarize myself with many of the KHR characters after...years.  
> So yeah feel free to leave suggestions if you want.


	2. God is dead and hope's a stupid and fickle thing

As a child, Ren was used to being alone.

His parents were absent. He had people to talk to at school, yet never considered them as friends. He had teachers and other adults praise his high academic skills and quick thinking, but they were nothing more than faceless people, empty words.

He was constantly surrounded by people despite his absent parents. Always cherished as they vied for his attention. But still, he remained alone.

And he didn’t mind it.

Being alone meant many things. It meant freedom first of all. The freedom to make your own decisions and not have others make decisions for you, typically that would be the place of his parents, but then again they were never really there.

He was self-driven, having no one he cared much for pushing him with expectations, and societies expectations never really held any value to him whatsoever. Because of this, he does many things in his small neighbourhood town. Sneak out, drinking, breaking and entering unauthorised areas for shits and giggles and many other things things that he usually wouldn’t get away with, but the police were shit at what they do there so he never cared.

He does many things, just because he can, and that was truly satisfying in itself.

As a teen, Ren found family.

Not ones bound by blood. Not ones that were his biological parents. But people who saw who he really was and still accepted him. Cherished him. Loved him. And all it took was some stupid fate, _oh how he hated that word_ , another dimension and apparent doom to create a group of teammates, friends and now family.

All it took was being wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, everyone’s backs turned against him, to find people who cared, as ironic as it is.

But because of these same reasons, he was here. In this cell, being stared at by two men in suits and had just been told that none of the people he knew, his family, exist.

Ren, although desperate to deny the claim, knew they weren’t lying, although he doesn’t know why, and it caused him to go silent. He watched numbly as the tall dark-haired man tilted his head at, what should be, Ren’s lack of reaction at the news, but Ren had a feeling he knew what he was feeling anyway. And it also seemed to be the same for the brunet next to him, glowing orange eyes staring right through him rather than at him.

For the first time in a long while he was alone and he hated it. This was not the solitary he was used to. This did not bring him the freedom he desired nor goals he could reach. Instead, he was stripped of everything he knew. Friends, family, his home. The cuffs on his wrist burned, a reminder that he was in a cell, restrained.

“Well now that you know of your situation, you have two choices.” The brunet, Tsunayoshi he reminded himself, took a step closer to the bars. “You can either stay here and we’ll help you or we can let you go.”

Ren was hesitant though, how does he know that they’ll help him? For all he knew he could be used for their own gain, it would not be the first time an adult had tried to take advantage of vulnerable people, usually woman or children. But on the other hand, he does not want to be thrown on the streets of Italy, somehow getting the feeling that the dark-haired man would be more inclined to do so. He was lucky to even have these two men understand and talk in Japanese as he knew nothing about Italian and his English wasn’t up to par.

The urge to be let out remained strong, however.

“You’re definitely right about the second option.”

Ren snapped his head towards Reborn. Did that guy just read his mind?

“Yes. Yes I did.”

_What the fuck._

The orange-eyed man sighed in exasperation, looking absolutely done with his partner. “Just let this child decide, Reborn.” Before his eyes grew warm once he met steel grey ones and Ren felt himself sag a little, he can’t help but crave the safety and warmth no matter how wary he was of the two.

“I’ll promise to help you, you have my word.”

And that was all Tsunayoshi said before Ren hesitantly made a decision.

The small smirk on Reborn’s face told all.

~~~

Ren wouldn’t admit it, but he was utterly and helplessly lost.

He snuck his way into the hallways alone, large and endless as it was. It was a useless endeavour to understand the maze that was this place, just as big and grand as the palaces in the metaverse. Yet, it held no shadows nor cognitive people, only maids and butlers that scurried back and forth with tasks to complete. Ren knew that it wasn’t the best idea to snoop around the Vongola mansion as Tsunayoshi had called it, but he did it nevertheless in an attempt to get out of the room he was now expected to stay in.

Neither Reborn nor Tsunayoshi explained much of what this place was or what they do, but he can at least assume that they must be very prominent figures in society. From expensive-looking suits to chandeliers that hung from beautifully designed ceilings, intricate in their design, it was quite hard for Ren to grasp that such a place exists in reality. Still, it was familiar, after all, this was the sort of place many palace rulers would envision, and it wasn’t hard for Ren to know what to look for when it came to sneaking around and gaining information.

Another thing Ren recently discovered, if he concentrated enough, was the faint outline of flames that everyone seemed to have within them, all in different colours, shapes and sizes. _It was like looking into their souls_ he thought bemusedly, watching as another butler walked by, his flames purple and almost mist-like in appearance, yet small. He silently questioned what they were and what they could mean, but never confided to either one of those two men about this ability he somehow had.

Still, he needed an explanation as to…well…everything. It would help give him an understanding even if the brunet persisted him to take a rest, which he was not doing mind you, and maybe find a way home.

Sticking to the shadows, as minimal as it was, he snooped around some more until he heard a yell. A very loud yell that could as well shake the walls and burst eardrums within a ten-metre radius. Ren was not in this ten-metre radius, thank god, yet despite the yelling, many of the maids and butlers paid no mind to it, as if they were used to the noise and continued on with their duties. However, Ren did not miss the way all of them avoided the hall from where the sound was coming. Even before the yelling, it remained empty.

Were they not allowed to enter? Ren mused, growing curious as time goes by. He had a feeling he shouldn’t enter there, after all, it was an unfamiliar place and from the many palaces, he had explored he had learnt it was best to gather info first before heading off into unknown territory. Futaba was usually the one to be giving them the information, but there was no Futaba and he was already in unfamiliar territory so that ruled out both options. Maybe he really should refrain from entering this hallway, considering that was the safest option.

Ren entered anyway.

“YOU STUPID COW! I WILL KILL YOU!”

“Haha bakadera, you can’t kill me.”

Ren did not expect Japanese to be spoken, nor did he expect a loud sound akin to an explosion, a screech and a teenager breaking through the door in front of him, slamming into the wall on the other side of the hall. Said teenager, however, got up as if he hadn’t burst through the door at alarming speeds and dusted his pants, curly black hair bouncing as he ran back into the room. He did not realise the frozen spectacled boy, no longer hidden in the shadows, and shouted obscenities in what Ren presumed to be Italian. So Ren made a wise decision to just book it.

Ha. As if that would be easy.

His face met a solid wall of flesh, which he definitely did not squeak upon impact, and took a couple of steps back. The man in front of him seemed highly amused and a tad creepy with how he stared at Ren, but the teen wasn’t paying much attention to that. It was the eyes that drew him in, one a deep blue and the other red, and within that red, the pupil was replaced with the kanji for six.

“Kufufufu little intruder, are you lost?”

The teen snapped out of his daze and gave the stranger a narrowed glare, he was not in the mood to deal with a creep. But the man only chuckled some more and stalked around him like a predator stalking prey. It did nothing but raise the boy’s hackles.

“How cute. The little one has fangs it seems.”

“Maybe if you back off, I wouldn’t act this way,” Ren spoke, blunt and calm, although he was anything but calm at the moment. Something about this man unnerved him.

“Oi. Pineapple head who the hell is this brat?” There was a subtle twitch to the creepy man’s lips, one that Ren caught instantly and made a subtle move to back off. Silently, however, he noted that yes…yes his hair kinda does look like a pineapple. Later, he thought that it was a smart move to step away from said man because soon enough, that man was quick to mock back.

“Oh? And what does this dear puppy know of what has occurred? Were you simply not informed?”

And the teen watched green eyes lit with barely concealed rage as teeth ground the cigarette in his mouth, effeminate face pulled into an ugly red scowl. The silver-haired male, who stormed out of the same room that Ren so desperately tried to flee from, dug into his pockets with a yell.

“YOU BASTARD!”

And pulled out… _oh god was that dynamite_. Each and every one of them was lit by the cigarette clasped in that man’s mouth, burning and ready to blow.

Ren had half the mind to jump away from the two, he did not want to die via explosions, thank you very much, and ran the hell away from there. _At least that explained the sounds_ , Ren thought dryly although his mind wandered to the teen he saw earlier and shivered, _how the hell did that teen survive that?_

Lucky for him, both were too distracted to notice his escape.

Once back to where he originally made his stupid decision he let out a shaky breath, decided that it wasn’t worth going back to those events that had currently transpired and swore to every higher being that he will find a way to get answers. And get them NOW.

But first, he needed to find where Tsunayoshi, or less preferably, Reborn was.

So, it was completely safe to say, Ren was not having fun. He had not been having fun since coming here, hell, fighting a goddamn god was more fun than whatever this bullshit was.

However, he will remain calm. He was joker, he had been a leader, had seen bizarre sights and taken everything in strides, fought a god and won. This should not get to him as much as it currently had.

Ren manoeuvred within this maze of a place, keeping track of where many were allowed or not allowed to go and their status which is usually shown through appearance, posture and overall presence. He was good at what he did, reading people and their potential worth in society. Coming from a teen who held nothing but the worst of reputations, he had to in order to survive that year.

Currently, he had found himself in a large room of sorts, hidden withing the pillars and curtains, and watched groups of people in suits mingle. He was in a ballroom and although the number of people here did not hint at any sort of party, it did show that it was used as casual meeting grounds, with how 'relaxed' many were. What Ren did know, was that most here were of high status and that being caught may bring him in much more trouble than what he had earlier. 

It was then he noticed that most had flames that were not outlined, but solid, yet still remained translucent. Ren didn't know what significance that could entail, and his curiosity peeked. It was clear that those who appeared to show a higher status are the ones to be seen with these solid flames, not faint outlines like the majority who walked by. And if he recalled the events earlier, although very reluctantly, he was sure that they too had solid flames. What colour or shape, however, he did not notice, too frazzled with what was happening at that time.

And so a correlation has been made, those with a significant status had solid flames. Not sure what that meant but it was as good of a theory as it could get. The only thing left was to decide what to do with this knowledge. So Ren watched as a man dressed in a three-piece suit walked by, looking every bit handsome and at home with this place, barely feeling a tug at the back of his conscious. 

He followed him, of course.

He doesn’t know why he did what he did but Ren followed his intuition, a nagging feeling he had yet to understand, and trailed a tall blonde into another similar looking hallway. He appeared to have solid orange flames, just like the colour of Tsunayoshi’s eyes, and wondered for the first time: What would Tsunayoshi's flame look like?

The man did not notice the teen’s presence as he made his way into a more secluded area, or so he thought. Ren realised quickly that he was being led purposefully away from people or nearby witnesses. Yet, for some reason, he felt safe despite the obvious alarm bells that were ringing in his head. It was familiar, like that time in that cell, and his eyes widen a little. Although the words Ren was about to speak never made it out of his mouth.

Because of course, things don’t always go as planned as Ren ducked away from a…tonfa? Shit. The blonde now jumped towards him in surprise, only to huff, face pulled into a small pout.

“Oh come on. I had it under control.”

“It is my duty to keep the peace here. Thus I will be the one to bite this trespasser to death.”

_Bite to death?_

“THIS IS GONNA BE THE FIGHT TO THE EXTREME.”

_Fight…to the extreme?_

“Ma, I wonder what game we will play. I bet it will be fun.”

Seriously, was no one informed of his stay? And why the hell did he get the feeling that this was the works of that fedora-wearing man?

The blonde made a valiant effort to stop them.

“Look come on now, this little guy is no harm-“

He failed.

Ren swiftly avoided a swing of the tonfa, body moving on autopilot. He could not help but witness the growing grin that spread on his attacker’s face, growing sharper yet pleased with every dodge and duck, and Ren could not help but feel like he was slowly digging further and further into his grave.

Ren still hoped that this was some fever dream and maybe he would pray for that, but God was dead and hope was a stupid and fickle thing that should have died ages ago. He wondered how he was still sane.

“Ok, that is _enough_.”

A wave of warmth so overpowering it caused the teen’s knees to buckle but he still remained standing. The dark-haired man stopped his assault and the blond looked nothing but relieved. Tsunayoshi stood there, appearing horribly intimidating with glowing eyes and a blank face. Despite his small stature, he caused everyone to bow their heads in submission, minus the one who threw the tonfa, and it became clear as to who was the true leader of this place.

Despite the pressure put on them, Ren was confused, tired, angry and a whole bunch more feelings that pushed him towards the man, taking long strides, eyes blazing and ready to just get over and done with this. He pointed at the short male, no longer caring about how rude the gesture seemed, and spoke, serene despite the cold expression that marred his face.

“You are going to give me answers now because I’m on the brink of losing it.” Ren was not the one to admit things but he was desperate. This had become a literal hell at this point and he may as well break down. The brunet, and everyone else in his vicinity, was shocked by his display of defiance, but he soon turned sheepish.

“Reborn didn’t inform anyone about this,” A sigh. “That was quite stupid of me and I’m sorry about that.”

Glowing orange eyes turned into hazel brown and he gave the teen a serious look, no longer the constant blankness. More human. It made Ren relax if only a little.

“I will tell you everything you need to know. Follow me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I did not forget this story. I still have no plot for this despite the many ideas I have. And I have still yet to look back into the KHR fandom in hopes of getting some sort of understanding of each character.  
> So yeah, this will be quite slow in updating cause I gotta do some research and hopefully get a clear and cohesive plot which is barely on the edges of my mind I swear-
> 
> Other than that I hope none of the characters seems too OOC. :')


	3. He's not dead...is he?

Ren did not did know what to expect as he sat down on the small couch, plush and immensely comfortable, but nevertheless, let his eyes scan for routes of escape. Tsuna, the man had told to call him that, sat seated in his desk, his office homey despite how large it was. A stark contrast to the rest of the mansion that was cold and extravagant in design.

Tsuna, unlike earlier, was more expressive. No glowing orange eyes or a deceptively blank mask. Instead warm brown eyes and a much more tired face greeted him. Not what Ren anticipated but, _hey, that was fine_ , or so he tells himself. Still, he would give this man the benefit of a doubt, mostly due to the fact that he was sane and that in itself was quite telling.

Endless amounts of translucent orange flames danced within the young man, flickering and sputtering once it reached the edges of its human confines. Ren couldn’t look away, mesmerised.

“Comfortable?”

Akira snapped out of his daze and stared back at the brunet, holding back a wince at the man’s tired smile. With how ‘dead on his feet’ this guy looked, he wondered if he had to deal with the constant shit that Ren had, so unfortunately, stumbled upon an hour prior. Hell, Ren was more inclined to pity the man if he didn’t feel just as dead as him.

Although, he hated to say that it would be more out of empathy than pity.

"Well, we have established that you're not from here, nor that you or anyone close in contact with you, exists. The place that you were staying in recently...?"

The words spoken were dull, habitual. “Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo. It was for probation."

Tsuna nodded although he did not hide the curious glint in his eye.

"Yes. It comes to a surprise that the name Yongen-Jaya doesn’t exist either, although many of the places on your phone do correlate to Sangenjaya. The only conclusion would be that you're not from this world…or reality. I’m not too certain, but I have a few people who could help with that."

Ren wasn’t even remotely surprised by the news. It seemed kind of obvious now that he thought about it. It could explain the god's words, the bizarre people, and the teleporting halfway across the world. Or just a different world in general.

Simply, it made sense. Something that he needed in this crazy, nonsense world.

"So there’s a chance that I could go back..." A nod was his reply and Ren slumped. "Good."

And then the room went silent.

Ren would have been able to ignore the awkward, stifling silence that permeated the room. He’d done it before, and he would do it again. But the brunette’s gaze was sharp and it unnerved him a lot more than he thought it would. In the end, he couldn’t help the words that came out of his mouth.

“Who the hell are you anyway?”

Yeah, Ren was really starting to lose it.

Still, he took a deep breath to calm the sudden nerves, forcing himself to maintain his neutral facade. A feat that he wasn’t sure could even be possible in this situation.. “I mean sure you stated that you’re a CEO of this…Vongola company, although I have no idea what this company does in general. But that doesn’t explain the people here. Their’s one who seems to take it on himself to attack people with tonfas of all things, a guy who has dynamite and anger issues, a creep with weird eyes which I’m struggling to believe he’s human in the first place. Oh, and a kid who broke through the door by said bomber and somehow made it out with no injuries whatsoever.”

He heard a wince from the desk in front of him but he paid no mind, eyes observing the room lazily.

“Not only that but we’re in Italy. There are men in suits that won’t hesitate to act on violence rather than being civil. Those guns over there are definitely real and I bet some of them are hidden in your desk. Then there is you, sitting on a mahogany desk wearing a cape and suit and somehow have these glowing eyes and an ability to make you feel…whatever it is that you were making me feel-” Ren paused before letting out a sigh. “Where am I going with this. This whole organisation you have is shady, the closest thing I could come up with is organised crime-”

“Well, you’re quite right about that. Seems like your exploring wasn’t a useless endeavour.”

Ren didn’t bother to acknowledge the sudden appearance of the man next to him. He knew who he was and he knew what he did, so Ren had every right to feel a little petty towards the man that cause this mess in the first place.

Tsuna glared at said man in annoyance. “Reborn.”

Reborn gave a small smirk at the brunette and tipped his Fedora in greeting. “Dame-Tsuna who made the decision to leave this child uninformed. I thought you knew better.”

Tsuna’s glare grew, although Ren couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the tall man, finally admitting his presence. He ignored the bright yellow flames that curled in languid loops. “Says the man who decided to not inform anyone of my presence.”

Ren wasn’t usually this snarky. He knew how to choose his battles and he knew Reborn was dangerous but it seemed that whatever this man did, brought out the more rebellious side in him. He wondered how long will it be before he ends up with a bullet through his head. Again.

Of course, Reborn looked very amused and sighed in mock pity. “If you weren’t so interesting, I would have placed bullets in you. However, even with that threat, you didn’t seem too bothered with being held at gunpoint earlier.”

Well yeah, your chameleon turned into a gun. Ren does not say this out loud, hell, he doesn’t even need to, anyway.

Reborn gave an all-knowing smile, a gleam in his endless onyx eyes.

“Well since this kid is on point with your profession I guess I will introduce myself properly. The name’s Reborn, the worlds best hitman."

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.” Ren was so done with whatever this was, his indifferent mask gave way to pure exhaustion. He turned to Tsuna, knowing that no words were needed to be said to prove that statement as the brunet’s face said it all.

“What would be nice is for the information to not be given so recklessly. Reborn, this is only going to put him in danger.”

“What would be nice is that I get the information that I need” Ren shrugged and reclined further back in his chair. “Not gonna lie, but Reborn is at least getting straight to the point. It’s not like I could deny anything in the first place.”

Tsuna looked at the teen, pained by the reluctant acceptance “I really hate it when kids have to be involved in this…” He muttered before he sighed and straightened. “I am Sawada Tsunayoshi, the tenth boss of Vongola, the largest mafia there is.”

Reborn clapped with a smirk. “Bravo, that wasn’t so hard. Was it? Maybe it would be beneficial for him to learn about the flames..”

_Wait. Flames…_

“Reborn! The Omertà!” Tsuna was standing, eyes wide and appearing frazzled, scandalised at what the fedora-wearing man said. Ren glanced at the endless flames flaring, erratic, and he felt his own nerves grow. Reborn, however, cackled, the yellow flames pulsed with his chuckles but still held its lazy quality.

“He isn’t a civilian.”

“But he doesn’t belong here. Not in this world.” Ren knew what Tsuna said wasn’t only literal, but alluded to something more.

“And yet he’ll be dragged in this one way or another,” Reborn replied in a matter of fact tone, a shrug adding more salt to the wound and it left the brunet reeling in silence.

Ren chose to say nothing. Not of his ability nor their reactions. This ability he had, sounded riskier than he thought.

~~~

Ren did not find it any easier navigating back, each hall he entered still remained looking the exact same as before. That was what he got for declining the brunet’s offer of having an escort but at least everyone was aware of his situation this time. So with that in mind, he strolled quietly. Not relaxed but not tense either. Although he did end up stiffening once he heard footsteps behind him but he did not turn back.

He walked faster.

“Hey! Ugh, look I’m sorry-“

He recognised the voice but made no move to slow down. Instead, he went into a full sprint.

“Wait, I said I was sorry-Shit!”

A loud thud caused Ren to pause. He could definitely use this opportunity to escape but…Damn his curiosity. He turned back.

His pursuer was sprawled on the floor and the teen crept towards the unmoving body cautiously. _He’s not dead…is he?_ Once Ren was close enough, he nudged the body with his foot but flinched back at the sudden groan before the teen hurriedly stepped back as they made the move to get up. The man dusted his dress pants, blond hair falling over his eyes until he looked up. Pale brown meeting steel.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind me dropping in as embarrassing as that was. You aren’t too bothered, are you?”

Well, he was, if his sprinting wasn’t anything to go by. Ren stared warily at the hand that was splayed out in front of him for a handshake and kept his own hands to himself. The man let out a sheepish laugh.

“Tough crowd, huh. My name is Dino Cavallone, boss of the Cavallone Famiglia. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

The spectacled teen grimaced a little and took another step back. “Couldn’t say the same. I’d rather not have a repeat of what happened earlier.” A soft sigh escaped him as he started walking. Where? He had no idea. “Are those… _men_ always like that? Violent and inhumane.”

The handsome blond followed with a grin the flames within him sputtered as if laughing. “Well you don’t have to worry about them or experiencing that again, they've been informed. I'm sure Tsuna has told you that. And they're just like that, you'll just have to get used to it."

Ren really didn’t like the way he said that, casual, as if this whole situation was normal when nothing was normal in the first place. It was fair to say that Ren felt a small part of himself shrivel and die. Again.

He was going to become a husk of himself once he goes back home. _If he goes back home_ , a traitorous part of him hissed. He brushed it off.

“Sooo, do you have any idea of where you’re going? Or are you aimlessly wandering about, lost…Hmmm?”

Ren smacked the hand that reached for his shoulder and gave a cold glare.

“Don’t touch me and leave me alone.”

The man raised his arms in a placating manner although the flames haven’t stopped its sputtering. Ren looked away, feeling as if he was being mocked.

“Hey hey, it’s fine. Let me take you somewhere I bet you’ll like. An apology from me.”

“And how would I know you won’t try to lure me into some shady corner. You didn’t seem so reluctant to do that despite knowing my circumstances.”

Dino winced at that. There was no denying the truth.

“Ok, I understand that but I promise it will be good. Pinky promise.”

Ren raised an eyebrow, face pulled into an apathetic mask. “Do you really think I will trust you?”

The man gave him a pleading look, hands clasped together behind his back and away from Ren. He was keeping his distance, Ren thought and then found himself reluctantly accepting the proposal.

“Fine, but I won’t be fooled a second time and consider this the only chance.”

Dino gave a small pump of his fist with a cheer as he led the teen to a different direction. He looked joyful and…relieved? Ren narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the older man, taking in the fact that he looked a lot more relaxed and if Ren thought about it, Dino did seem a little desperate earlier-

“What, surprised? Didn’t think a middle-aged man would be such a youthful-looking beauty.”

The blond had caught him staring with a smug smirk and the curly-haired teen let out a scoff, turning away from him just to piss him off. “Or maybe you just act like a nosy 12-year-old brat. The way one holds themselves tends to make one look younger or older.”

A pout as he gave Ren a small glare. “When did you become so rude. I tried to help you back there.”

“You didn’t do shit.”

They finally stopped at large imposing doors carved in beautiful curves and patterns. Ren didn’t gape at the display but did let his eyes scan the details in mild wonder.

“Well if you find the door so fascinating than I’m sure you will find what’s behind this spectacular.”

And then he pushed the door open.

Ren took in lush green and sky blue. Trees that scattered the expanse of land as well as lined the sides of the entrance. Vines covered the wall of the building and was entangled in the trees closest to it, looking untamed despite the obvious trimming to control the spread. In front of him, an enormous hedge wall reached towards the sky forming a maze, convoluted and decorated with colourful flowers

“Welcome’s to Vongola's garden. A treasure isn’t it.”

A garden. _This was a garden!?_ This place was equivalent to a goddamn forest you’d find in those goddamn fantasy books. Don’t tell him there was a lake there too.

“Well, I’ve been told of your reaction earlier when you were in the cell. Your reaction to Tsuna was odd, or well, just your situation in general. So I thought it will be great to give you some freedom and this place is freedom personified.”

He found himself relaxing and was surprised by how tense he was this whole time. Although he wasn’t willing to trust this man yet, for that will take a very long time considering his history with adults, he found himself willing to give this man a shot. Dino didn’t seem so bad-

“…Well now that’s over I can finally escape from Reborn-“

The teen paused as something clicked in place. “Reborn?”

Dino paled at his slip up and then went red. “I-It’s nothing,” he denied but the phrase came out in stuttering words and oh, now he gets it.

Ren was not going to let this opportunity go, a grin slowly formed on his face as the pieces from this man’s earlier desperation and relief fall into place.

Karma was a bitch.

“Let me guess, Reborn threatened a grown-ass man to gain my trust.’ And Ren gave a mocking smile because he was so much pettier as of late. “I bet Reborn had fun with that. _How hilarious_.”

Ren laughed as he walked deeper into the garden, leaving a very red and _very flustered_ man behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ren unleashed his inner Akechi lmao, there’s nothing holding him back.
> 
> And I do love Dino but I couldn't help myself. I really couldn't. Not with this snarky teen that I'm having too much fun writing.
> 
> The songs I was listening to while writing is ‘Gives you hell’ by The All-American Rejects and 'Misery' by Maroon 5. Guess which song was for who ;D


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